On June 7, 2015, in Ketchikan, Alaska, Samson Mullenax, a 22-year-old Hispanic, male died after being struck by a bullet in what authorities described as an apparent accidental shooting. He had been with roughly half a dozen people at a gravel pit off Brown Mountain Road, a spot commonly used by locals as an informal shooting range, when a firearm discharged. Friends rushed him to PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead that night.
Alaska State Troopers said their preliminary investigation indicated the shooting was accidental. As part of standard procedure, troopers noted that the body was sent to the State Medical Examiner for autopsy and that both the victim and the individual handling the firearm would be screened for drugs and alcohol; investigators emphasized there was no indication at that time that impairment played a role.
No arrests were announced in connection with the incident. Reporting in the days and months that followed continued to characterize the death as accidental, and incident records categorize the case as an accidental or negligent discharge resulting in death at a shooting area, listing a subject/suspect as unharmed but with no charges indicated. Local year-in-review coverage likewise referenced the event as an accidental shooting during target practice.
